4 ms·

HN is downright quiet on the topic, with only 21 posts over 20 comments since the launch (2023-07-05), 4 posts per day. Compare that to the Reddit blackout post

HN is downright quiet on the topic, with only 21 posts over 20 comments since the launch (2023-07-05), 4 posts per day. Compare that to the Reddit blackout posts which seem to be closer to 8 posts per day. Only 8 posts with over 100 comments, whereas it's hard to find even a single Reddit blackout post at less than 100 comments. My friends in every other community are buzzing about Threads, but here on HN someone comes into every thread to remind me that Mastodon doesn't need growth to be a success, whether the thread was about Mastodon or not. Just gives me more of that feeling that the community here is becoming more detached. Maybe it's just me, but I'm watching The Great Fragmentation with open eyes to see what comes next.

nicpottier 3y ago
It is a bit weird. I've been toying with all the various Twitter alternatives as they have had their 5 minutes of fame and Threads definitely feels different and like it might stick. That feels like very big news but not to HN I guess?
- Karrot_Kream 3y ago
  I think over time HN has become more like a lot of other tech communities; a bit ideological, zealous, and detached. Most of these groups have ingroups (the virtuous hackers) and outgroups (CIA, NSA, RIAA, MPAA, Microsoft, Big Tech, Social Media, techbros, billionaires, <zeitgeist enemy>.) This is the kind of community you'll find in a lot of FSF mailing lists, Libera (formerly Freenode) channels, and Linux subreddits. Threads, being a Meta project, is an outgroup project, so not worth talking about no matter how many use it. The other Twitter alternatives align more with the ingroup so worth boosting beyond their actual usage. It depends on what you want out of a community, some people want a space that is a bit relaxed and others want something a bit more cliquish. The FSF orbit communities have always been on the cliquish side. For me if I wanted something more zealous I'd spend more time on Libera channels or FSF MLs. The few I do spend time in satisfy my fill of that culture.
  - TheHappyOddish 3y ago
    My less cynical viewpoint is that it just isn't that interesting. It's a bare-bones Twitter clone made by Meta. There's no interesting new technology to discuss, no open source angle, no discussion on the company founder that hasn't been done 100 times. HN has plenty of discussions about interesting Meta projects - Quest, React, the metaverse, financial discussions, etc. I just don't think there's much to grip people on this topic.
    - pests 3y ago
      Hasn't Threads been around for awhile? I thought I ran across it when browsing Facebook's store page on one of the app stores and saw it a long time ago. Regardless I do think its funny that Facebook had photos but Instagram is still a product and now Facebook has always had status updates and now Threads is a product. Facebook is almost just a mashup of Instagram + Threads. Or in a way some demographic of users liked a Facebook experience but for photos only (Instagram) and another set of users liked a Facebook experience but for status updates only (Threads).
      - thatguy0900 3y ago
        Threads used to be some kind of messaging app and was shut down. They revived the name for this new project for some reason
    - 8note 3y ago
      Nobody has covered the interesting angle -- this is the first time I've seen social media companies launch direct competitors, rather than a novel way to capture attention. At least, the first time in a while
      - VintageCool 3y ago
        Facebook/Instagram Reels is a TikTok clone to directly compete in that space. YouTube Shorts also exists to compete with TikTok.
badrequest 3y ago
I think it's more that the HN crowd cannot stand to think, much less utter the phrase "you've gotta hand it to Mark Zuckerberg and crew." That's at least the feeling I have to get over when I praise Threads.
- stbenjam 3y ago
  I don’t think it’s that. There’s just no need for a Twitter clone without porn. Although they did do a very good job. The app is well thought out and the service has been rock solid since launch.
  - mullingitover 3y ago
    Honestly there's no need for a Twitter with porn. It's not like there's any lack of options for publishing or viewing porn on the internet. Of course if Twitter wants to host porn more power to 'em, it's just not a make or break differentiator. I have a feeling in a year or two people will assume that if you're still on Twitter, it's for the porn, with the plausible deniability of "no man, it's for the free speech!"
- Karrot_Kream 3y ago
  I think it's important to remember that virality can be fickle and Threads may go the way of Clubhouse. We really don't know where it'll land up. Among Us was the hit game of the pandemic and now it's not. But maybe the crowd here should be a bit more humble and restrained by their biases, it's a useful art to practice. When I first saw YouTube in late 2005 I told all my friends that it would go nowhere because Flash was a resource intensive, proprietary technology. Now I pay for YouTube Premium.
- Rapzid 3y ago
  That wouldn't be an interesting take or conversation and is sort of against the HN vibe. Not to say that doesn't happen all the time, but agree with GP; they did a thing meh. Will seen if it gets traction over Twitter and then that will be interesting.
- Drew_ 3y ago
waiseristy 3y ago
Threads was on the front page for an entire day or two. A sizable percentage of the entire lifetime of the App. Twitter and Musks other ill-adventures will continue to dominate HN though. Zuckerberg is not part of the HN in-crowd and will draw about as much water as his other services.
afterburner 3y ago
Maybe it's because HN is more like Reddit than Twitter/Threads, so there's more reasons to care about it. And a lot of Redditors probably came to talk about it here, some because their favorite subreddit was on strike. Also the Reddit situation was very dramatic and adversarial, Threads is just a new boring product with a clean launch.
demarq 3y ago
As the poster above said, the hype may not be organic, so I wouldn’t expect communities to be talking about threads. The media might be all the source of the hype.
epolanski 3y ago
Plain simply I think it is not that interesting of a topic to talk. There isn't much to say.

nicpottier 3y ago

It is a bit weird. I've been toying with all the various Twitter alternatives as they have had their 5 minutes of fame and Threads definitely feels different and like it might stick. That feels like very big news but not to HN I guess?

Karrot_Kream 3y ago
I think over time HN has become more like a lot of other tech communities; a bit ideological, zealous, and detached. Most of these groups have ingroups (the virtuous hackers) and outgroups (CIA, NSA, RIAA, MPAA, Microsoft, Big Tech, Social Media, techbros, billionaires, <zeitgeist enemy>.) This is the kind of community you'll find in a lot of FSF mailing lists, Libera (formerly Freenode) channels, and Linux subreddits. Threads, being a Meta project, is an outgroup project, so not worth talking about no matter how many use it. The other Twitter alternatives align more with the ingroup so worth boosting beyond their actual usage. It depends on what you want out of a community, some people want a space that is a bit relaxed and others want something a bit more cliquish. The FSF orbit communities have always been on the cliquish side. For me if I wanted something more zealous I'd spend more time on Libera channels or FSF MLs. The few I do spend time in satisfy my fill of that culture.
- TheHappyOddish 3y ago
  My less cynical viewpoint is that it just isn't that interesting. It's a bare-bones Twitter clone made by Meta. There's no interesting new technology to discuss, no open source angle, no discussion on the company founder that hasn't been done 100 times. HN has plenty of discussions about interesting Meta projects - Quest, React, the metaverse, financial discussions, etc. I just don't think there's much to grip people on this topic.
  - pests 3y ago
    Hasn't Threads been around for awhile? I thought I ran across it when browsing Facebook's store page on one of the app stores and saw it a long time ago. Regardless I do think its funny that Facebook had photos but Instagram is still a product and now Facebook has always had status updates and now Threads is a product. Facebook is almost just a mashup of Instagram + Threads. Or in a way some demographic of users liked a Facebook experience but for photos only (Instagram) and another set of users liked a Facebook experience but for status updates only (Threads).
    - thatguy0900 3y ago
      Threads used to be some kind of messaging app and was shut down. They revived the name for this new project for some reason
  - 8note 3y ago
    Nobody has covered the interesting angle -- this is the first time I've seen social media companies launch direct competitors, rather than a novel way to capture attention. At least, the first time in a while
    - VintageCool 3y ago
      Facebook/Instagram Reels is a TikTok clone to directly compete in that space. YouTube Shorts also exists to compete with TikTok.

badrequest 3y ago

I think it's more that the HN crowd cannot stand to think, much less utter the phrase "you've gotta hand it to Mark Zuckerberg and crew." That's at least the feeling I have to get over when I praise Threads.

stbenjam 3y ago
I don’t think it’s that. There’s just no need for a Twitter clone without porn. Although they did do a very good job. The app is well thought out and the service has been rock solid since launch.
- mullingitover 3y ago
  Honestly there's no need for a Twitter with porn. It's not like there's any lack of options for publishing or viewing porn on the internet. Of course if Twitter wants to host porn more power to 'em, it's just not a make or break differentiator. I have a feeling in a year or two people will assume that if you're still on Twitter, it's for the porn, with the plausible deniability of "no man, it's for the free speech!"
Karrot_Kream 3y ago
I think it's important to remember that virality can be fickle and Threads may go the way of Clubhouse. We really don't know where it'll land up. Among Us was the hit game of the pandemic and now it's not. But maybe the crowd here should be a bit more humble and restrained by their biases, it's a useful art to practice. When I first saw YouTube in late 2005 I told all my friends that it would go nowhere because Flash was a resource intensive, proprietary technology. Now I pay for YouTube Premium.
Rapzid 3y ago
That wouldn't be an interesting take or conversation and is sort of against the HN vibe. Not to say that doesn't happen all the time, but agree with GP; they did a thing meh. Will seen if it gets traction over Twitter and then that will be interesting.
Drew_ 3y ago

waiseristy 3y ago

Threads was on the front page for an entire day or two. A sizable percentage of the entire lifetime of the App. Twitter and Musks other ill-adventures will continue to dominate HN though. Zuckerberg is not part of the HN in-crowd and will draw about as much water as his other services.

afterburner 3y ago

Maybe it's because HN is more like Reddit than Twitter/Threads, so there's more reasons to care about it. And a lot of Redditors probably came to talk about it here, some because their favorite subreddit was on strike. Also the Reddit situation was very dramatic and adversarial, Threads is just a new boring product with a clean launch.

demarq 3y ago

As the poster above said, the hype may not be organic, so I wouldn’t expect communities to be talking about threads. The media might be all the source of the hype.

epolanski 3y ago

Plain simply I think it is not that interesting of a topic to talk. There isn't much to say.